Ninety Seconds
by SayidRocks
Summary: The team travels to Mesa, Arizona to assist with a possible serial killer. Of course, Reid can not avoid getting into trouble on his own!
1. Ninety Seconds

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**Disclaimer:** See my profile.

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'_**Ninety Seconds'**_

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Reid, Morgan and Prentiss sat at their desks at the BAU working on files and reports. Reid yawned as he moved a completed file into his 'Out' Box and then leaned back in his chair and stretched. Morgan laughed. "I get it. In fact, I feel like laying down in a corner somewhere and taking a nap."

"Paperwork is _so_ boring," Prentiss added.

"This is what I went to school and obtained all those degrees for; so I could do paperwork and type up reports," Reid quipped.

"Reid, did you just make a joke?" Prentiss teased.

"A slight and not particularly amusing joke. However, it was the best I could come up with regarding the situation at hand."

"Oookay…"

Morgan grinned. "At least you made the attempt, kid."

"I can't believe I'm actually hoping for some kind of a case to come up soon," Prentiss sighed. "Not that I'm wishing for more victims, I'm just looking for something else to do besides paperwork." She looked at Reid. "Hey, Reid…"

"No Prentiss, I will _not_ do some of your work for you."

"But, you can read through it all so much faster, Reid."

"No. You always try to get me to do your work for you, Emily."

Prentiss pouted and turned back to her computer just as JJ came into view carrying a stack of files. "Guys, we have a case. Conference room in ten minutes," she said as she walked by on her way to Rossi's office.

'Saved by the bell, hunh Emily?" Morgan remarked.

Once inside the conference room each member of the team took their seats around the round table and flipped open their copy of the case file as JJ handed it to them. "This case is in Arizona?" Reid asked, looking up from the file.

"Yes," JJ answered. "It's in Mesa, which is located in Maricopa County, approximately twenty miles east of Phoenix."

"Mesa has over 460,000 residents, and is the third largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix and Tucson. The city is over 133 square miles; and for those of you who are baseball fans, it's the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs.* The police department is generally well regarded in the law enforcement community."

"Mesa is where Jimmy Eat World comes from," Garcia added. **

"Who?" Rossi asked.

"They're an alternative rock group," Reid explained. "They were all students and friends at Poston Junior High School in Mesa when they decided to form a band. They've had a lot of success the last few years in Europe and the United States." He looked around the table as the other team members stared back at him. "They had a song in a movie Garcia and I watched, so she told me who they were and I looked them up," he explained.

"Can we get back to the case, please?" Hotch asked. "Why must we go off on so many tangents?" He looked directly at Garcia and Reid, both of whom looked uncomfortable under his gaze.

"The Mesa Police Department has asked for our help with a possible serial killer. They have a total of four victims, two male and two female. The most recent victim was female."

"Two male and two female? Were there any signs of sexual assault?" Morgan asked.

JJ shook her head. "No signs of sexual assault on any of the four victims."

"What makes Mesa think these four murders are connected?" Rossi asked.

JJ clicked her remote and pictures of all four victims appeared on the screen. "Kimberly Johnson, twenty-four, was the first victim. She was shot to death six months ago; Alejandro Jimenez, twenty-five, was shot to death four months ago; Jerry landers, twenty-six, was shot to death two months ago; and Lynda Lakes, twenty-three, was shot to death the day before yesterday." She turned toward the team and continued, "All four victims were shot with the same weapon, a .22 caliber handgun. Ballistics matched all of the bullets."

"That's a definite connection," Rossi commented.

"The victims were spaced almost exactly two months apart," Reid said. "They were all in their mid-twenties. Were the victims found in the same location?"

JJ shook her head. "Each of the four was found in a different location; Johnson in an area near the Salt River Pima Indian Reservation just south of East McKellips Road and Alma School Road; Jimenez further south not too far from the end of the Light Rail line at Main and Sycamore Street; Landers in East Mesa near Apache Trail and Crismon Road; and Lakes across from the Mesa Convention Center at the Northeast corner of University Drive and Center Street. That last location is less than a mile from the main police station and the Mesa City Courthouse."

"Whoa…" Prentiss said. "Taunting the police, maybe?"

"Could be. Have the police found any other connection between the victims?" Hotch asked.

JJ shook her head. "Not yet. However, as we all know, that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't a connection to be found."

"Okay everyone, we're going to Arizona. Grab your go bags, wheels up in one hour."

/\

"It's damn humid here," Morgan griped as they stepped off the plane at Falcon Field in Mesa a few hours later. "I thought Arizona heat was a dry heat."

"Not during monsoon season," Reid informed him as he flipped a few pages of the spiral bound map book he was carrying.

"Monsoon season? Great, just what I needed to hear!"

"Why didn't we fly into Sky Harbor Airport?" Rossi asked.

"The Phoenix Field Office felt it would be easier to deal with traffic if we flew into one of the smaller local airports," JJ answered. "They still have our vehicles waiting for us."

"How far is it to the police station from here?" Hotch asked.

"I think it's around eight or nine miles," Reid said.

"That's not too bad," Rossi said. He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "Geez Hotch, you're wearing a suit jacket, aren't you hot?"

"Of course I am," Hotch replied. "It's over ninety degrees today."

"It looks like it's going to rain," Emily commented, looking up at the sky.

"Rain is in the weather forecast," Garcia added.

"So much for being in the desert," Morgan said.

"The main qualification for an area to be considered a desert is for the evaporation rate to be higher than the precipitation rate. It doesn't really matter what the precipitation rate is as long as the evaporation rate is higher," Reid said, looking up at the sky.

"Thank you Reid," Rossi commented.

"We'll be staying at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa which is next door to the Convention Center and down the street from the police station," JJ informed the group.

"According to this map the hotel is only a few hundred yards from where the fourth victim was found," Reid added.

"Good," Prentiss commented. "We won't have to walk too far away from the hotel's air conditioning." She looked at Hotch before adding, "That is if we are able to be assigned to look at that particular crime scene."

Within a few minutes the group was seated inside their two SUV's and on their way to the hotel. An hour later they had checked into their hotel and were walking into the main police station on Robson Road. JJ announced their identity to the police officer at the front desk who had clearly been expecting them. She buzzed them through one door and checked all of their identification before buzzing them through a second door and into the main section of the police station. She directed them down a hall and to a room where they could find Lewis Dongan, the Detective in charge of the case. A few minutes later the team was standing outside a small conference room.

"You must be the agents from the BAU," Detective Dongan said, rising from a chair he had been sitting in.

"I'm SSA Jennifer Jareau. We spoke on the phone. This is our Team Leader SSA Aaron Hotchner, SSA David Rossi, SSA Derek Morgan, SSA Emily Prentiss, SSA Spencer Reid, and our technical analyst Penelope Garcia."

"Detective Lewis Dongan," he said, shaking hands with all seven members of the team. "Thank you for coming so quickly. Hopefully this room that we're in here will work out for your team. We have the white boards that you requested, and there is wireless Internet access available as well. I'll be happy to have someone take you anywhere you need to go or help you with anything you need."

"Thank you Detective," Hotch said.

Detective Dongan nodded. "I'm sure you've run into this before, but a few members of the department are not exactly happy about our having asked your team to come here."

"Yes, we have run into that a few times in the past," Rossi commented.

"When I went to Lieutenant Alvarez and suggested we ask for your help there was some initial resistance. Not from him," Detective Dongan added quickly. "There were a few others who thought we should handle the case internally."

"We're used to it," Hotch told him. "We'll be able to handle it." He looked at the other members of his team. "JJ, you and Garcia stay behind to get set up. Detective, the rest of us would like to visit each crime scene."

"Of course. Are all five of you going to all four crime scenes?"

"No, what we'll do is have myself and Agent Morgan visit the locations where Ms. Johnson and Ms. Lakes were found, and Agents Rossi and Prentiss will visit the locations where Mr. Jimenez and Mr. Landers were found. I'd like Agent Reid to visit all four locations, however separate from the rest of us. We'd like to speak with the victims' families after we visit the crime scenes."

Detective Dongan looked a little puzzled at Hotch's plans, but he nodded. "I'll show you and Agent Morgan around; I'll have Detective Lukas show Agents Rossi and Prentiss around, and I'll have Officer Montebello show Agent Reid around. Montebello was on the scene at McKellips and Alma School, and he knows that area fairly well."

/\

Reid stepped out of the police cruiser at the corner of Main Street and Sycamore and looked around. "Jimenez was found on the Northeast corner behind the repair shop?" he asked his companion.

Officer Montebello folded his arms in front of his chest and sighed. "Yes," he answered shortly.

Reid looked at him. Montebello had been hostile from the moment Detective Dongan had informed him he would be escorting one of the BAU agents around town. They had started with the corner of University and Center, the most recent dump site. The crime scene tape was still present, though the detectives had finished collecting evidence at the site. Officer Montebello hadn't even left his patrol car while Reid got out and looked at the scene from several vantage points and then walked around the northeast corner, which was empty except for a bus stop facing University Drive. After leaving that location they had headed for the East Mesa location at Crismon Road and Apache Trail. That location was only a few yards from a canal, and Reid had walked for several yards up and down the canal in both directions. He hadn't expected to find any evidence after two months, he was simply trying to get a feel for the location and why the UnSub might have chosen it.

During the over twenty minutes it had taken to drive from the first to the second point Montebello had said less than a dozen words to Reid, and in the slightly longer ride to this location from the East Mesa one he had said barely anything to him. Reid shook his head and walked across Sycamore to the unevenly paved lot where the victim had been found. It had been four months since the body had been found so there was no longer any evidence there had ever been an investigation conducted there. He turned around and looked over to where two light rail cars sat parallel to each other on two tracks waiting for their time to depart the station. "The light rail is less than one hundred yards away," he commented.

"No kidding."

Reid walked over to where the officer was standing and stood next to him while continuing to look at the rail cars. "Would you like some cream and sugar with that sarcasm, Officer Montebello?" Montebello's facial muscles twitched but he said nothing. "The last train arrives around midnight, and none of the businesses close by stay open any later than that; therefore if the victim was dumped after midnight the killer knew there was a possibility he wouldn't be found until dawn. Hmm..." Reid walked across the street to where the trains sat and looked back at the dump site; and then he walked to several other vantage points to look at the scene before walking back to the patrol car and informing the officer he was read to head to the next scene.

After putting his seat belt on Reid looked at Montebello. "I think it is fairly obvious you are one of the officers who aren't happy the BAU is here in Mesa."

After a few tense moments of silence as he drove north on Sycamore and then turned right onto University Drive the officer answered. "We don't need any help from the Feds. We can handle these crimes ourselves."

"I see. So it doesn't matter if Detective Dongan and Lieutenant Alvarez are interested in obtaining our insight on these crimes. You simply think you don't 'need any help from the Feds'. I will be sure and take that into consideration."

Montebello looked over at him briefly but said nothing further until they were stopped at the light at Alma School Road and University. "There's a Jack in the Box over there. Do you mind if I grab something?"

"No, of course not," Reid answered. Once the light had changed the officer drove across the intersection, through the parking lot and up to the restaurant's drive-thru speaker. He placed his order and then turned and asked Reid if he wanted something. A surprised Reid ordered a sourdough burger, curly fries and a coke, and a few minutes later they were headed north on Alma School Road.

After several moment of silence Montebello said, "I apologize if I was rude. But no one likes the Feds walking into their jurisdiction and taking over…"

"We're not taking over. We look over the evidence, and the crime scenes; and we offer our insight and then we create a profile. If at all possible the local jurisdictions solve the cases and make the arrests. That's how we operate at the BAU. If we did our job any other way no one would ever call us for assistance."

Montebello nodded and a few minutes later he slowed down and parked on the right shoulder of the road. Both men climbed out of the patrol car. The officer led Reid a few feet away from the vehicle and stopped in front of a small wooden cross with some flowers in front of it. "This is where Ms. Johnson was found. Some of her friends and family members put up the cross and left the flowers."

"What are those barricades blocking McKellips?" Reid asked.

"The road is closed from just east of Alma School to just west of the ramp to the 202 over there because of flooding from a controlled run off."

"Was it closed when she was found?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's been closed since January. They did open it for a few days near the end of May, but then we had a storm that caused some flooding and it was closed again."

Reid looked up as it started to rain. "I heard about Arizona's Stupid Motorist Law. Has anyone ever tried to go past these barricades and cross the flooded area?"

Montebello chuckled. "Not lately that I'm aware of. But in the past, hell yeah. This barricade has been placed here on and off for several years. Some of these dry river beds and small creeks become raging torrents after only a little rain. It's unbelievable how ignorant some people really are. We get at least a few idiots every single year in Arizona driving around barricades or trying to cross areas that tell them not to enter when flooded."

Reid nodded. "I'm from Las Vegas. You see it around there also. It only takes six inches of water to wash a vehicle away. So that big sign over there slightly to the north marks the beginning of the Salt River Pima Indian Reservation?"

Officer Montebello nodded. "That's right. Listen, it's raining harder. I suggest we get out of here. You can always come back later. I'll even drive you if you like." Reid nodded and the two men walked back to the patrol car. While not completely friendly, the atmosphere in the car on the ride back to the police station was decidedly more pleasant than it had been earlier in the day.

/\

Reid drove the Bureau SUV toward McKellips and Alma School Road. He felt he hadn't spent enough time at the location the previous afternoon with Officer Montebello; and despite the man's offer he had decided to come back on his own. It had begun to rain heavily and Reid hadn't had the chance to look the location over the way he wanted to. Unfortunately it was cloudy again today and threatening to rain; however the rain had held off so far. He drove across a small bridge over a usually dry creek bed that now looked like a swiftly moving river; and a few minutes later parked the SUV in the same location where the patrol car had been the previous day and climbed out. He walked to where the cross stood and looked around. He turned in a full circle and looked carefully at what he could see. The location was somewhat isolated, especially to the north; but there was a gravel quarry not far away to the south, and a couple of other industrial buildings within sight, including a propane tank distribution company. However, Officer Montebello had informed him there wasn't much traffic through this area at night, and it seemed likely the victim was left after dark.

The wind started picking up and Reid coughed slightly due to the blowing dust coming from the area of the quarry and the empty acreage to the north. He was intrigued by the idea the location was so close to the southern boundary of the Salt River Pima Indian Reservation, but he wasn't sure if it meant anything or not. The wind started picking up even more and now the rain was starting. Reid decided to head back toward the SUV as his hair started to whip around his face and the rain was driven at him. He pulled the vehicle on to the road, drove a few yards north and then turned around and headed back in the other direction. Reid noticed a car coming up behind him at a high rate of speed. The car pulled to within inches of his back bumper and then suddenly pulled around him to his left and then lurched back into his lane only a few feet from his front bumper. Reid cursed and slowed down a little so he could back off. The offending car sped up a little and pulled away from him, and then slowed down once more forcing Reid to slow down as well. He backed off a couple of car lengths and reached for his cell phone to call the police and report a possibly impaired driver. "Shit!" he exclaimed as the driver of the car in front of him suddenly slammed on her brakes, coming to a complete stop. With no time to think Reid tried to avoid hitting the stopped car by swerving to the right and on to the shoulder of the road. Seeing there was very little shoulder between the pavement and an embankment that led down to the creek bed, he tried to quickly compensate by swerving back to the left, however the other car was in his way and he had no room to properly correct himself back on to the road. The SUV skidded to the right again, connecting violently with the guard rail of the small bridge he had passed over earlier. After skidding along the guard rail for a few yards the SUV hit an area damaged from a previous collision. The guard rail broke and the SUV flew through the gap and over the side of the bridge. It landed with a violent thud front end first in the swiftly moving water and was almost immediately swept away under the bridge as it started to slowly sink.

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*I am _not_ a Cubs fan! Give me the Arizona Diamondbacks any day! Mesa is, however, the Spring Training home for the Cubs.

**Jimmy Eat World really is from Mesa, Arizona. Tom Linton, the lead guitarist for the band, taught my oldest nephew to play guitar, and his family owns and runs a business renting and selling musical instruments and providing music lessons, etc., in downtown Mesa called Linton-Milano Music.

**A/N: **Chapter One of this story was my entry in the-vampire-act's contest for _How will season Five of Criminal Minds end? _.net/u/1648586/the-vampire-act. I came in second! Woohoo!

11


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

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'_**Ninety Seconds'**_

Chapter Two

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"911, what is your emergency?"

"Yeah, uh, I just drove my truck out of the quarry on Alma School Road. It looks like a truck or SUV went off the bridge into the river just south of McKellips."

"You're saying an SUV went off the bridge into the river?"

"Yes! There were two cars stopped on the bridge, and when I drove over I saw part of the railing was broken. It wasn't broken earlier today, so I parked the truck on the shoulder and got out to look. The driver of one of the cars was looking over the side of the bridge. He told me the second car had forced a black truck or SUV to crash through the railing and go into the water."

"I've already dispatched units to assist. Can you see the vehicle in the river, sir?"

"No, we can't see it. It might have gotten caught under the bridge. The water is moving so fast…"

"Do you see any sign of the vehicle's occupants?"

"No, we can't see anyone."

"Do you know how many people were in the car, sir?"

"This guy said he only saw one person, but he's not sure. Hey, stop!"

"Sir?"

"The car that caused the accident is trying to take off…"

"Can you give me a license plate number, sir?"

"It's Arizona, one of those vanity plates. I-G-O-T-G-A-M-E! They need to get here quick! This other guy just jumped in his car and is trying to chase her! They're headed south on Alma School."

"Did you say 'her', sir?"

"Yes! The driver is a woman! Please hurry!"

"They're on their way, sir."

/\

"Agent Hotchner," Detective Dongan said. "I'm curious about something."

"What's that?"

"Yesterday you sent Agent Reid out separately to all four locations. I'm not questioning how you do your job; however I am curious as to why you did that?"

"Reid usually works on our geographic profiles, among other things. I have found that he often can get a better feel for a location if he looks at it by himself and then forms his own thoughts on it and the possible connections to the other sites. We all try to go into a case with as few preconceived notions as possible."

"And you thought if he looked at all four locations on his own he would form his own opinions without any bias from what the rest of you thought?"

"Exactly. One of the ways we operate is by forming our opinions and then discussing what we have in common."

"You don't group think, you group solve?"

Hotch almost smiled at Dongan's comment. "That's a good way of putting it, Detective."

"Thank you. I'm just glad you're here to have the opportunity to group solve."

/\

The first sensation he had was whiplash. When the front end of the SUV hit the water he was violently thrown forward and then thrust backward almost immediately when the airbag deployed. The second sensation was cool water swirling around his legs as the SUV began to sink, front end first and then level out slightly. 'It's over ninety degrees,' he thought. 'Why is the water so cool?' He tried to push the temperature of the water aside in his mind and remember what he needed to do to get out of the SUV. "Think, Reid!" he said out loud. "You saw Rick Sanchez on CNN. If he can get out, so can you."* Then he realized how fast the water was moving, and how easily it had transported a vehicle the size of the SUV under the bridge. He was grateful when the SUV apparently caught on something and stopped moving. Reid didn't think he would have much trouble getting out of the vehicle, and he didn't think the water he was in was particularly deep. However, he knew even if he could get out of the SUV he would likely be swept away himself. He tried to think, to remember some statistic in his mind for how many miles this creek bed ran, for how far a body might travel if the current swept it away… Reid decided that as long as the SUV remained stuck under the bridge it might be safe to climb try and climb out. If he could climb onto the vehicle's roof he would at least be out of the water, though certainly not out of danger. He reached for the switch that operated the power windows, grateful to Rick Sanchez for telling him the windows should still work as long as the key was still in the ignition. He tried to open the window, but it would only come down a few inches; and then he unbuckled his seat belt and pulled himself into a kneeling position on the vehicle's seat in preparation for pulling his body through the window. He thought he heard someone calling to him from above. "I'm here, I need help!" he shouted as loud as he could. Reid ignored the sharp pains in his neck as he pulled his arms through the window and tried to grab on to the roof as he twisted his torso through the small space. As slender as Reid was, pulling himself through the window with it open all the way would have been almost ridiculously easy; however, with the window open only part way it was a little more difficult. As he managed to get himself into a position where his rear end was nearly sitting on the edge of the window's glass, the SUV dislodged itself from whatever had been holding it in place under the bridge and started to move again. The 911 caller stared in shock as the vehicle was swept out from under the bridge and carried down the creek bed with its driver hanging halfway out the driver's side window.

/\

"Excuse me, Officer Montebello is it?"

Montebello looked up from his patrol car at Hotch. "Yes, I'm Montebello," he said walking toward Hotch and Rossi. "Uh, Agent Hotchner, correct?"

"Yes."

"Can I help you with something?"

"Perhaps. We are trying to track down Agent Reid. He's not answering his cell phone, and I'm trying to determine where he might be."

"You were with him yesterday," Rossi added. "Did he say anything to you about what his plans were for today?"

Montebello nodded. "Sort of." He cleared his throat. "Agent Reid kind of jumped on me about my attitude toward your team, and after we cleared the air a little we went out to the location where the first victim Kimberly Johnson was found. It started to rain while we were out there; and he wasn't able to spend much time there. He did say he'd like to take another look. I thought maybe he wanted me to take him around again today; however when I arrived at the station he had already been here and gone." Montebello looked from Hotch to Rossi. "He didn't tell you where he was going?"

"He did leave a message he would be visiting the locations again; however he didn't say which ones in what order. You're saying he was interested in the location at McKellips and Alma School?" Montebello nodded. "I was out there myself yesterday. It's not that far away. I'm going to drive over there and see if maybe he's in that area and his battery has just died."

"I'm just going out on patrol. I can call dispatch and then drive out there myself," Montebello offered.

"I would appreciate that. Thank you," Hotch said.

As Montebello reached into the patrol car for his radio Rossi grinned. "Reid jumped on him about his attitude?"

"You find that amusing?"

Rossi nodded. "Yes, since Agent Reid doesn't often get credit for being tough."

"Agent Hotchner?"

"Yes," Hotch said, turning around.

"I was just called out to the area of Alma School and McKellips. It seems there was a report of a black SUV or truck being forced off the road and into the creek. A witness started chasing the car that apparently caused the accident." Montebello quickly fastened his seat belt and started the car.

"That creek is now more like a raging river," Hotch said as Montebello departed the parking lot with his siren blaring and his lights flashing.

"Hotch… He said a black SUV. That sounds like it could be one of our vehicles."

"He said a black truck _or _SUV. There must be dozens of those around."

"Hotch, Reid isn't answering our calls. We know that's one of the locations he was headed to; and we also know there was an accident in that area."

"You're right. That was probably where Reid was headed… We need to get over there ourselves immediately!"

/\/\/\/\

*****In 2005 Rick Sanchez of CNN took part in a demonstration of how people could get out of their vehicles safely if they went into the water. It was shown again in 2009 and the video added to CNN on September 23, 2009. Sanchez actually put himself into a car that was deliberately run into a lake three separate times so he could demonstrate techniques he'd been shown for getting out of the vehicle safely. He had help nearby if he could not get out, and on his third demonstration he had to use the oxygen he had with him and use the help. Each attempt he had something different happen he had to deal with; and though he had a small current, it was nothing like the swiftly moving water Reid has to deal with (though the creek turned river is not that deep).

Here is the video of his demonstrations, which I admit took some guts to take part in:

.com/video/#..cnn?iref=videosearch

www. cnn. com /video/ # /video/ us / 2009/ 09/ 23/ ..cnn?iref=videosearch

**A/N**: _Ninety Seconds_ the title comes from my guess of how long a person might have to safely exit a sinking vehicle.

6


	3. Chapter 3

**A/: **Sorry it's been so long. I blame lack of time and lack of inspiration. Sorry guys! And I think its a little lame, but I'm tired and I wanted to finish this chapter because it keeps looking at me and saying 'finish me, finish me!'

**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

**/\/\/\/\**

'_**Ninety Seconds'**_

Chapter Three

**/\/\/\/\**

Officer Montebello raced west along University Drive with his siren blaring and his lights flashing. He turned right onto Alma School Road hoping he could intercept the fugitive car before it got away. Seconds after he made his turn the red suspect vehicle went speeding by and raced through the intersection at Alma School and University just as the light was turning red. The car that had been trying to follow it hit their brakes and wisely stopped at the light. Montebello executed a wide U-turn and headed south along Alma School in pursuit of the red vehicle. He slowed down at the intersection to make sure traffic was stopping, and then proceeded through as he informed dispatch what he was doing and what direction he was headed in. As he passed through the intersection at Alma School and Main Street, a second patrol car fell in behind him to assist with the pursuit. Montebello could see the suspect vehicle only a few yards ahead just as a report on the vehicle's owner came through on his computer. The owner's name was Adella Rueben, 45; and she had three prior convictions for Driving under the Influence. In addition she was driving on a suspended license and had been twice previously charged with leaving the scene of an accident. Montebello suddenly realized stopping Ms. Rueben was even more imperative than he had thought when he had first gotten the call.

/\

"The police say Montebello and another officer are pursuing the suspect vehicle south along Alma School Road," Rossi said as Hotch drove toward Alma School and McKellips. "She has three prior DUI convictions, is driving on a suspended license, and has been charged twice with leaving the scene of an accident."

"Montebello is going to have a hard time getting someone like that to stop," Hotch responded.

As Hotch turned right on to Alma School Road two police cars whizzed by them at a high rate of speed heading toward the scene of the accident. "I guess we can just follow the police," Rossi commented.

/\

Reid was startled when the SUV dislodged and began moving again. He hung on to the window in an attempt to not fall into the water. He managed to maneuver himself back inside the car, grimacing in pain as he did so. He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand and tried to think. He had looked at the U.S.G.S. map of the area, therefore he should be able to remember how far this creek bed ran, he thought. However, he knew even the most detailed topographical map would not show every last detail; and could not possibly take every factor such as debris in the water into consideration. The water was moving so swiftly that knowing the area wouldn't be much of a help; if a vehicle ended up in the water the way his had it would be swept away too quickly.

_Think, think… Should I try to get out of the vehicle again? If I do, what do I do after that? I can't expect to be able to swim to the side with the current as strong as it is_. _What should I do? My neck and my back are really hurting… I'm not sure if I _can_ climb out of the vehicle again. Wait, where is my cell phone? Why haven't I tried to use it? _

Reid grimaced as he turned his head to the right to grab his messenger bag. His cell phone was tucked into a pocket on the outside of the bag. No it wasn't. Where was his cell phone? He realized it was in his pocket and attempted to stick his right hand in and pull the phone out. No, the phone was not in his pocket either. Where was it? It took Reid a moment to remember the phone had been in his hand when the accident had first happened. He had pulled it out with the intention of reporting the driver of the other car as possibly impaired. He had no idea where it was now; for all he knew it had flown out the window and landed in the creek, or it could be somewhere in the vehicle. There was no way for him to know where his cell phone might have landed, and there was really no way he could look for it at this point in time. 

/\

Since where they were going was only a few miles away Hotch and Rossi arrived at the scene in less than ten minutes. They could see the 911 caller and his vehicle off to the side of the road talking to a police officer. There was no sign of Reid's vehicle anywhere within their sight. Hotch pulled the SUV over to the side and Rossi called out to the officer, who excused himself and walked over to the two agents. "Hello, I'm SSA David Rossi, and this is SSA Aaron Hotchner."

"You're the agents from the BAU?" Rossi nodded. "Can I help you?"

"What happened to the vehicle that went into the water?"

The officer turned and pointed to the Northeast. "The creek bed widens where McKellips goes across it, so the bed is shallower and the water moves slower. Then it narrows and deepens again. When it gets to the Bottoms before the Country Club Drive bridge passes over it about a mile east of here, it widens significantly and is a lot shallower. The department figures that's the best place to try and get to the driver because the water will be moving slower. The vehicle was moving in that direction."

"Thank you officer," Rossi said as Hotch put the SUV in gear and pulled back on to the road.

"What's the next street north?" Hotch asked.

Rossi checked the GPS. "McDowell Road. Turn right, then right again when we get to Country Club Drive." Hotch quickly turned on to McDowell, and a couple minutes later as they approached Country Club they could see two police cars off to the right near the north bank of the creek bed. As they turned on to Country Club they could see several more police cars, an ambulance and two fire trucks on the south bank, which sloped gradually down to the creek bed. "Look!" Rossi exclaimed. Hotch craned his neck to try and see what Rossi was pointing at; but several onlookers had stopped on the bridge passing over the creek and were watching the scene below making it impossible for him to see from the driver's side of the vehicle. He shook his head, pulled the SUV off the road as soon as they were across the bridge, and drove up next to the police cruisers parked there.

An officer blocked their path as they attempted to park. "I'm sorry, you can't come down here. We have an incident in progress…"

"I am aware of that officer," Hotch interrupted. "My name is SSA Aaron Hotchner and this is SSA David Rossi. We believe the driver of that vehicle is one of our agents."

"You're the F.B.I. agents from the BAU?" Hotch nodded. "Okay then."

Rossi looked out toward the creek where they could see a black SUV sitting in the middle of the bed with the back end facing toward the east. "What's going on?" he asked.

"The water at this point is only a few inches deep, so the vehicle slowed down and is stuck on something. Normally we would try to get a safety line across to the other side and then pull ourselves and the firefighters along it out to the vehicle."

"What if you can't get the safety line across?" Hotch asked.

"Then we attach lines to the firefighters so they can't be swept away, and they go out to the vehicle. We've done that before."

"I'm sure you have," Rossi said. "We won't get in your way."

"Have you had any contact with the driver?" Hotch asked.

"No Agent Hotchner. We have called out to him using the bullhorns, but we haven't spoken to him directly, no."

"Thank you officer," Hotch said. Rossi and Hotch stood and watched as the officer went back to what he had been doing before their arrival.

/\

Vehicles pulled over to the curb on both sides of the street as Officer Montebello chased Adella Rueben south on Alma School Road. As they passed through the intersection at Main Street he could see the barriers at the railroad crossing just south of the intersection lowering slowly. If the suspect was able to get across the tracks before the train passed he might not be able to follow her, and she would get away. Luckily there were already several vehicles stopped at the crossing, so Rueben made a wide erratic right turn into the parking lot and slowed down briefly as if she were trying to figure out where to go next. A large grocery store, two fast food restaurants and several small businesses shared the parking lot, and it was full of vehicles and people walking to and from cars and businesses. Montebello used his loudspeaker to ask customers to move to the side as he followed the suspect into the parking lot. He then used it to suggest the suspect stop her car and exit the vehicle. She however decided not to cooperate and kept driving through the parking lot, somehow managing to not hit any vehicles or customers. Montebello breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were now in an open area of the parking lot near an empty building that had once held a discount big box store. He once again used his loudspeaker to suggest the suspect stop her vehicle, and again she failed to cooperate. With no other cars in this section of the parking lot to worry about Montebello sped up slightly and bumped the back of her car; however she still refused to stop. Montebello sped up and bumped the car harder, and this time the driver turned to the right and sped up in an attempt to get out on to Main Street. He refused to let her get away from him this time, and this time bumped the right rear of the car. She drove straight into a collection bin for used clothing sitting in the parking lot and this time was forced to stop. Montebello stopped and suggested once more via his loudspeaker that she remain where she was. With two other officers pulling up behind him for backup, he exited his cruiser and approached the driver's side of the suspect vehicle with his gun drawn.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" he commanded. "Place your hands on the steering wheel." He approached the driver and directed her to exit the vehicle. Instead of cooperating she tried to spray a can of pepper spray at him; which served to genuinely piss him off. He jerked the door open and pulled the suspect out of the vehicle and ordered her to lie on the ground. He then placed her in handcuffs and read her rights to her.

/\

Rossi and Hotch watched as two firefighters with safety lines attached to their belts made their way slowly out to the SUV. Hotch's cell phone rang. "Hotch… No Morgan, they're on their way out to the car now. … We don't know yet. … They caught her? … Thank you, we'll let you know the minute we have any news. … Morgan you do _not_ need to come down here. I will call you." Hotch hung up the phone and sighed.

"I take it that was Morgan," Rossi said.

"Yes. He wanted to come down here because he is worried about Reid; but I told him not to. They stopped the suspect. Montebello and two other officers were able to get her to stop. She tried to spray Montebello with pepper spray."

"That will add assault on a police officer to her charges," Rossi suggested. Hotch sighed and the two men went back to watching the events taking place out in the middle of the creek.

Reid sat in the front seat of the SUV watching the two firefighters approaching. He had no idea what the SUV had gotten stuck on that caused it to stop, but he was certainly glad he was no longer moving. While still moving fairly quickly with a good current, the water was only a few inches deep; and even though he knew a vehicle could be swept away by as little as six inches of water, he figured it was unlikely it would happen at this point. His neck and back were so sore he could barely move.

"Hi, how are you doing in there?"

"I've had better days," Reid answered.

"I imagine you have. My name is Jack, by the way. This is Marvin. What's your name?"

"Spencer Reid."

"Are you in any pain, Spencer?"

"My neck and my back both hurt."

"Bad?"

Reid gave a short nod. "Pretty bad and getting worse."

Marvin spoke into his radio. "Victim's name is Spencer Reid. The air bags have deployed. Neck and back pain, we need a neck brace and a back board."

Rossi and Hotch continued to watch as four additional firefighters attached lines to themselves and headed out into the water carrying a spine board, a neck brace and a head immobilizer. "That doesn't look good," Rossi stated.

"I'm sure it's just a precaution," Hotch answered. Rossi looked at him, and could immediately see Hotch wasn't at all sure it was just a precaution.

"Okay Spencer," Jack said. "I'm going to open the door, and we're going to get you out of there. Is your seat belt still fastened?"

"No, I took it off when I tried to get out earlier."

"Okay, we're going to put this neck brace on you and then ease you out on to the board." Reid nodded.

Hotch and Rossi continued to watch the scene unfold. Marvin climbed into the SUV from the passenger side as Jack opened the door on the driver's side and pushed the seat back a little more. They carefully placed the neck brace around Reid's neck and then slid the spine board inside the SUV under him. Reid turned sideways and Marvin carefully helped lift his feet and legs up on to the board; and then Jack and another firefighter carefully helped him to lay down on it. Marvin fastened the straps over his body, and then the others carefully pulled the board out the driver's side, taking care to jostle Reid as little as possible. Marvin came back around to the driver's side, and the six firefighters lined up three on each side of the board. They carefully slid the board the rest of the way off the seat and then carried Reid back to the bank and the waiting ambulance.

"I certainly have nothing but good things to say about the Mesa Police Department and the Mesa Fire Department at this point in time," Rossi said as the two men watched Reid being put on to a gurney. "I don't believe this! He's still holding on to his damn bag!" he exclaimed.

"You know he's never without it," Hotch responded as the two men walked toward the ambulance. "Reid, we're here," he called out.

"Hotch?" Reid said.

"Yes it's me."

"Good."

"May I ride with him?" Hotch asked the ambulance driver. The driver nodded and Hotch handed Rossi the keys to the SUV. "What hospital are we going to?"

"Scottsdale Osborn. It's the closest trauma center."

"I'll call the rest of the team and we'll meet you there," Rossi said. "What's wrong with him?" Rossi he asked Jack as Hotch climbed into the ambulance with Reid.

"He has severe neck and back pain. My guess is severe whiplash, and there's always the possibility of internal injuries."

"Thank you, you all did an amazing job."

"Just doing my job," Jack said, but Rossi noticed the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

**/\/\/\/\**

**Interesting fact:** The area I described as the 'bottoms' in this story where Reid was rescued from is sometimes used as a campsite by homeless people in the area. After 9/11 a sign one of them put up was spotted and ended up on the local news. It read 'I'm not homeless. I live in America.'


	4. Author's Note: Chapter 4

-1**Disclaimer: **See my profile.

**/\/\/\/\**

'_**Ninety Seconds'**_

Chapter Four: _**Author's Note**_

**/\/\/\/\**

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am _**not**_ abandoning this story; however I thought it was also fair to let my readers know it may be a little bit yet before I am ready with an update to this story. There are several reasons for this.

The first one is that the first chapter was an entry in the-vampire-act's contest last year for How Should Season Five End, and my point was to create a cliff hanger for the end of the first chapter, and I did do that. However, the crime was not completely thought through in the sense I hadn't decided how to solve it yet, and I still haven't; therefore I'm finding it hard to get myself going with an update. I love Reid, but it can't all be about Reid going to the hospital and being in the hospital!

Second, I have had a little bit of writer's block lately. I honestly did start chapter four of 'Ninety Seconds' a few weeks ago and I just can not seem to get very far. It took me weeks to get chapter updates done for my stories 'A Force of Nature: Part II', and 'Weird, Alaska', partly due to writer's block.

Third, I am just too busy! Even though I am still unemployed, I do write articles for , I write Blogs, I have tons of E-mail, I have limited computer time, and I have a lot of responsibilities at home, plus I am still looking for a job. It took me over a week to put up a chapter for 'A Force of Nature: Part II' even though it had been written out longhand for several days; and right now I have a chapter done for 'Weird, Alaska' that I have not had time to deal with for over a month because I have not had time to type it up. I also have a one chapter story hand written I have not been able to put up, I have another new story I want to start I haven't had time for, and I haven't updated 'I Could Have Done Anything I Wanted to Do' in a long time either.

So basically I am doing my best, but in all honesty I will not be able to update this story any time soon without some major inspiration. I just wanted to let people know I am not planning on abandoning it and will get to it as soon as I can!

Thank You!

Gail, aka 'SayidRocks'


	5. Author's Note

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE **_

Hi Everyone,

Sorry, no actual update!

I apologize for the length of time since my last update. I have been trying to do my best to work on updates, but I have had a bit of writer's block and I have not had the time to work on my story updates that I would like to have. However, I would like to assure you that I have _**not**_, repeat _**not**_ abandoned _'Ninety Seconds'_. I will post an update as soon as I can get to it!

In the meantime, please read my short story _**'8:46'**_ at Associated Content. I've had to split up the URL because of FanFiction . net, but you can eliminate the spaces or find the link on my profile. I also welcome your comments on this story after you read it. There is a comment form under the story there.

'_**8:46'**_- A story of September 11, 2001- A young man who could have died September 11, 2001 is left to deal with his survival and to question why he lived when so many others did not.

http : / www . associatedcontent . com / article / 8331355 / 846 . html ? cat = 44

http : / www. associatedcontent . com / article / 8331355 / 846 . html ? cat = 44

Thanks everyone for your patience!

Gail, aka 'SayidRocks'


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